"This is in a global javascript function that runs on every page. Yes, that's right, the author is using JQuery to look for a specific instance of a UTF error in a specific location on pages, and replacing it with the superscript HTML encoded registration mark.

Of the 400-500 HTML files that trigger this global script, only about 40-50 of them actually contain the specific dom elements being targeted. And those all have the exact same HTML structure.

In the amount of time it took the author to write this script, they could have just done a global search and replace of the source HTML files to correct the UTF error to begin with."

As far as how this could exist, C-Octothorpe, in my opinion, explained it best: If they did a find-and-replace, they wouldn't be able to put "jQuery" on their resume.

All WTFs started off as a good idea based on some constraint we don't know about. Nobody sits down and goes, "What's the worst possible way to solve this problem?" and then does that.

PROFOUND DISAGREEMENT: Contrary to popular belief, not all programmers are created equal. A part of the problem is the income and the potential to produce results while in a state of ignorance. Many feel that because what they are doing works, means they are smart enough that they need not learn anything new. Others choose to believe that if it is something they do not understand, then it is not worth knowing. Still more figure that if it isn't in one of the books they read in college, it is untested theory and they summarily reject it. I find very few programmers that can actually look at a problem and come up with an original solution.

Humility is not particularly a common component among geeks. At least not until they have been locked within a single technology for too long and find themselves job hunting, only to discover that entirely new platforms, methodologies and frameworks have fully squashed the industrial demand for what we already know. I pitty some few of my friends who still only use/know classic ASP.

Just a single word of advice to all my fellow devs out there... if you don't have a computer at home or aren't using it to try out all of the new IDEs, frameworks, libraries and technologies that follow your current technology... you may find that 10 years of experience doesn't count for much.